Burma - Road to Mandalay

"I love you. I love you very much. I will never forgetOn the waterfront, creaking oxcarts, a rickety jetty
you," said Daw May Lwin Zin,headmistress of theand old wooden boats transport youback to a
village school of Kindat, Burma (or "Myanmar" as it isSoutheast Asian trading post right out of a book by
now known). Beforewe parted, she showered meJoseph Conrad.
with gifts of limes, pomelos, and green jade earrings.Before boarding the Road to Mandalay, we stopped
We strolled arm in arm down the main, muddyto visit Mahagandayon Monastery,home to several
thoroughfare of Kindat, as the esteemedheadmistressthousand novice monks. Long lines of saffron-robed
proudly announced to curious on-lookers in their teakmonks with shaved heads,most of them young boys,
houses of stilts that the Roadto Mandalay had justcradled their begging bowls of food as they
presented the school with much-needed schoolprocessed into the opendining hall.
supplies.The luxurious Road to Mandalay is the latest addition
Perhaps the crew had chosen me to represent theto the Orient-Express Hotels,
ship's passengers in this formal, movingschoolTrains and Cruises. Originally built for cruises along the
ceremony because I had so enjoyed playing andRhine River, it was completely renovated and
singing together with the precious children of othertransported to Myanmar in 1995 for cruises on the
villages.country's main Ayeyarwady River. Local craftsmen
For the first time last September, our Road toadded elegant decorations and fittings such as woven
Mandalay river cruiser journeyed along thecane furniture, Burmese antiques, and traditional motifs
Chindwin River, visiting remote villages in the heart ofcarvings that reflect a colonial ambiance. The new
ancient Burma. The Chindwin is atributary of theeco-friendly sewage system neutralizes all effluent
Ayeyarwady River, which was immortalized bybefore leaving the ship.
Rudyard Kipling in his poem "On the Road to MandalayThe magic charm of Burma weaves its spell as
where the flyin' fishes play...." over a century ago whensomething new appears around every bend
he describedTimes stands still. It feels we are gliding through a
Burma as "quite unlike any land you know about."secret journey into a hidden world.
What was once Southeast Asia's most secretive andThe entire village turns out to greet us. Excited children
mysterious country is now slowlyopening up to therun along the riverbanks, wavingand shouting their
outside world to reveal a rich and glorious culturalwelcomes. Ox carts cultivate fields, leaving trailing
heritage, breathtakingnatural beauty, and people whoclouds of dust. Fishermen cast their nets. Ancient
have an endearing genuine charm that seems totemples shrouded in mists, majestic white and gold
transcend time.pagodas illuminated in the sunset, teak forests, virgin
A thoughtful note from the ship's captain appeared onjungles and snow-capped mountains, all are part of the
the pillows in our cabins the firstday. "We know ofenticing adventure.
your thoughtfulness in wanting to give money andThe openness with which the proud people of each
other items to the children,but it is not good, (for) theyvillage welcome us is first evident intheir warm, genuine
may become too reliant on this form of giving. Instead,smiles. Bright-eyed young girls with longyis hugging their
may Isuggest you join us in...seeing to it that usefulhips linger forawhile and smile while balancing baskets
school items are brought for the benefit of all thelocalon their heads. Giggling children splash in the
children."banksideshallows beside their mothers who are
Chief Engineer Terry Kyaw Nyunt, Senior Trustee forwashing the family's clothes.
the Road to Mandalay's SchoolBut after each fascinating village visit, it is always a
Fund, said, "Five years ago I collected $1.00 from eachwelcome respite to return to the shipfor a plunge into
crew member which we presented to thethe pool or a cool, thirst-quenching drink on the top
Shwe Kyet Tet School in the river cruiser's homedeck's canopied bar.
village. Since then, we have built an annex fortheDuring the day, on-board cultural lectures and
school and bought a multi-media system for a school indiscussions help us to better understandthe culture of
Bagan with the money passengersdonated. Normally,Myanmar. There's also time for a soothing massage or
we do not give money, but ask ahead of time what isbody treatment, all excellent values.
needed.Each of the 56 air-conditioned cabins enjoys a view
"Most of the tourism industry in Myanmar is doingand, in addition to a spaciousdiningroom and main
similar charitable projects. It is ourresponsibility toobservation lounge, a pianist entertains at a bar on the
preserve the culture of Myanmar," said Charlie Turnbull,main deck. Eachevening, there are colorful
Manager of Road toperformances by local Burmese dancers, puppeteer
Mandalay's Hotel Services.and acrobats aswell as televison in-house movies.
My journey in Myanmar began with an AbercrombieOur tranquil river journey ended in eerie old Bagan
& Kent tour in Yangon (formerly(formerly Pagan) where themysterious ruins of more
Rangoon, Burma). We stayed at the grand old Strandthan 2,000 temples dot the landscape as far as the
Hotel, built during the British colonial era..eye can see. Bagan,once the ancient center of a
Half the persons on the tour bus had already cruisedglorious kingdom, is Myanmar's remarkable architectural
on the Road to Mandalay within the pasttwo years.equivalentof Cambodia's Angkor Wat. Previous visitors
Why, I wondered, would they return so soon? Thereadvised it is best to view the ruins when a fine mist
must be something very specialabout this journey.hovers over the sun-baked plain, but I prefer the
Nearby, the shops of the huge, enclosed Scott'sinspiring scene at sunset.
Market were well worth a serious look atthe rubies,As we said our good-byes aboard ship, tears glistened
sapphires, jade and various beautiful Burmese worksin the eyes of two shy staffmembers. In respectful
of art.prayer-positions, they murmured to me "We will miss
Yangon is more memorable, however, as the site ofyou always."
the Shwedagon Pagoda, one of themost sacredShould you visit Myanmar? Whether informed tourism
Buddhist temples in the world. A golden spirehelps or hinders the restoration ofhuman rights in
dominates this religious fairyland andeverything aroundMyanmar is the subject of on-going debate, but the
it. Meandering through hundreds of pavilions, shrines,local Burmese people with whom Orient-Express
and statuary images,you begin to learn a great dealpersonnel come into contact say they do not want to
about Theravada Buddhism which is fervently nurturedsee an end to tourism in Burma. The company
as thenational faith. It is truly a sight that appears, in thebelieves that this interaction between ordinary people
words of Somerset Maugham, "like a suddenhope incan be a catalyst for long term social change.
the dark night of the soul."John Hinchliffe, the Road to Mandalay's Director of
The following morning we boarded a plane for theOperations, said, "Although corruption in Myanmar
short flight to Mandalay, a city thatcomes across as aremains a problem, our employees certainly DO get
huge kind of Oriental bazaar of artists andtheir money. Indeed, our Burmese crew are our finest
craftspeople at work. Woodenmallets pound preciousasset. They are superb!”
metal into gold leaf, found everywhere in Myanmar,As for me, Burma has cast an irresistible spell. I will
since the faithfulplace it on Buddhist images for goodreturn soon to see how these friendly people are
luck and karma.getting on in a world that is not so friendly as they are.
Market stalls are piled high with sticks from theIF YOU GOo For more information and reservations, [
thanaka tree. Young women and childrengrind these(800) 524-2420
into a smooth sandalwood paste and apply it to theirAsk for the “Great Journeys of the
faces as beauty marks andprotection from the sun.Orient-Express” brochure.